Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-04

GAZETTE: FORT WOR1
Gns7~i, and q great revival comes, and
So. : Uy scores sud hundreds, srC-rf n
Gospel nom the lips OF thai young
pres ..er, and father snd no,her--quite
Oh lOw-are visiting the son ri the VII
lage parS1nage, and al the close CT s
Sabbath Of mighty blessing father and
mother retire u their room, the son
lighting the way and asking them if he
can do anything to make them more com
tertaoie, saying if they want anything in
the night Just 10 knock on the wall. And
then, al alone, father and mother talk
over the gracious influences Of the day.
snd say: "WelI, it is worth siI We wen
through to educate that COY. 1t was
herd pull, but we held on till the work
was done. The world may not know it,
but, mother, we held the rope, didn't
We?" And the voice, tremu!ous with
joyful emotion, responds; eyes, father,
we held the rope. l feel my work is
done Now, Lord, lettest thou thy SER
want depart in peace, for mine eyes have
seen thy salvation" "P5hsw?n says the
father, 81 never felt SO much like living
in my life as do now. l want to see
what that fellow is going On to do, be
has begun SO we'll"
Something occurs TO me quite personal.
was the youngest OF large family of
children. Ny parents were neither rich
nor poor; four of the sons wanted cole
giste education, and four obtained it, but
not without
GREAT HOME-STRUGGLE,
We never heard the old people say once
that they were denying themselves to ef-
feet this, out remember now that my
parents always always looked
tired. don't think they
they ever got rested until they
lay down in the Somerville cemetery.
Mother would sit down In the evening
and say: "Well, l don't know what
makes me fell so tired" Father would
fall Immediately to sleep, seated by the
evening stand, overcome with the days
fatigue. One Of the four brothers, after
preaching the Gospel for about fifty years,
entered upon his heavenly rest. Another
of the four is now on the other side the
earth, missionary Of the cross. Two of
Us are in this land in the holy ministry,
and | think al of us are willing to
acknowledge our obligations TO the old
folks at home. About twenty one years
ago the one, and shout tWenty-three
years ago, the other, put down the
burdens OF this life, but they still hold
the rope.
o, men and women here assembled, you
brag sometimes how you have fought
your way in, the world, but l think there
nave been helpful influences that you have
never fully acknowledged. Has there not
been some influence in your esrly or
your present home thst the world can not
see? Does there not reach to you from
among the New England hills, or from
the western prairie, or from southern
plantation, or from English, or Scottish,
or Irish home cord or influence thGt has
kept you right when you would have
gone astrsy, and which, after you had
made
CROOKED TRACK
recalled you? The rope may be as long
as thirty years, or five hundred miles
long, or three thousand miles long, but
hands that went out of mortal sight long
ago still hold the TOpe. You want q very
swift horse, and you need to roWel him
with sharpest spurs, and to let the reins
lie loose upon the neck, md 10 give &
shout to the racer, il you are going 10
ride out Of reach Of your mothers pray
ers. Why, ship crossing the atlantic
in six days can't sail away from that.
The sailor finds them on the lookout as
ne takes his place, and finds them on the
mast as he climbs the ratlines to Olsen
tangle rope in the tempest, and fnds
swinging on the hammock when he turns
in. Why not be frank and acknowledge
it-most of US would long ago have been
dashed to pieces had not gracious and
loving hands steadily and lovingly and
nightly held the rope.
But there must come time when we
shall ind out who these DamasCenes
were, who lowered Paul in the basket,
and greet them and al those who have
rendered to God snd the world unrecOg-
nized ard unrecorded services. That is
going to be one Of the glad excitements
of heaven; the hunting up and picking
out Of those who did crest good on earth
and got no credit for it. Here the
church has been going on nineteen CEN
turtles, and yet the world hes not reCCg-
niZed the services of the people in that
Damascus balcony. Charles G. Finney
said TO dying Christian: "Give my
love to ST. Paul when you meet him"
When you and l meet him, as we will,
shall ask him to introduce me to those
people who got him out of
THE pAMAsCENE PERIL.
We 90 into long sermons to prove that
we will be able to recognize people in
heaven, when there is one reason we fail
to present, and that is better than all
God will introduce US. We shall have
them all pointed out. You would not
be guilty of the impoliteness of having
friends in your parIOr not introduced, AID
celestial politeness will demand that we
be made acquainted with all the heavenly
household. Whist rehearsal of old times
and recital of stirring "reminiscences, III
others fail to give introduction, God will
take US through, and before our first
tWenty-four hours in heaven-if it were
calculated by earthly timepieces-have
passed, we shall meet and talk with more
heavenly celebrities than in our entire
mortal state we met with earthly ceIebri-